Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, November 15, 1994 TAG: 9411150097
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RAY REED
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
It is my understanding that the deficit is larger during Clinton's time but just not growing as fast. How can anyone say or imply that the deficit is being reduced?
D.H., Moneta
A: Sticking to the unbroken trend in government spending since 1970, there was a deficit of $203 billion for the year that ended Sept. 30.
But the deficit for 1994 was indeed less than in recent years: $220 billion in 1990, $269 billion in 1991, $290 billion in 1992 and $255 billion in 1993.
Each year's federal deficit is calculated separately. The deficit is not a running total like, for example, the $4.3 trillion national debt.
The deficit is added to the national debt, which keeps growing daily.
There's no comfort in the outlook, either: the National Taxpayers Union expects the yearly deficit to approach $300 billion by the end of the decade.
The recent rise in interest rates, plus growing claims for Social Security and Medicare benefits, will drive the deficit up.|
Identifying crash victims
Q: This may seem morbid, but in the recent terrible air crashes in Pennsylvania and Indiana, what attempts are being made to identify small body parts and send them to families?
J.W., Roanoke
A: The efforts of medical examiners, morticians and disaster technicians are extensive.
Much as an airplane hangar is used to collect and assemble pieces of a crashed plane, a similar effort is under way in a National Guard armory in Remington, Ind. About 100 experts are gathering as many remains as possible.
They work from fingerprints if available; from jewelry described by relatives, and from surgical scars.
The effort will take weeks. They want to make sure that no remains are given to the wrong family, and that officials don't hand over partial remains to a family for a funeral, only to discover later that additional parts have been identified in the morgue.
Relatives will not be asked to identify victims. At most, they may be asked to confirm recovered items such as jewelry.
Got a question about something that might affect other people too? Something you've come across and wondered about? Give us a call at 981-3118. Maybe we can find the answer.
by CNB